Zaid: Don't punish GISBH economically

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has urged a halt to dismantling businesses owned by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holding Sdn Bhd (GISBH).

Addressing the issue on X, Zaid (above) acknowledged that the group may have made mistakes in their interpretation of Islam but argued that this is no justification for destroying their livelihoods.

“I hope the National Fatwa Council can differentiate the temporal errors Malays commit from those parts of their belief system about God and the afterlife. Where they have defied the laws, take immediate action against them.

“Faith can be restored relatively quickly with proper guidance, but businesses take years to build and, once destroyed, may not grow again,” he explained.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that several businesses linked to GISBH were affected due to a sharp decline in customers following allegations of child abuse and religious deviation involving the group.

The report highlighted that businesses connected to GISBH - such as bakeries, restaurants, and laundromats across Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor, and Perak - had been either padlocked, shuttered, or closed.

On Sept 11, police raided 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan believed to be run by GISBH, rescuing 402 children after a report was lodged regarding alleged child abandonment, sexual assault, and harassment.

‘One or two’ cases of sodomy

GISBH denied operating the raided homes and initially refuted claims of child abuse. However, its CEO Nasiruddin Mohd Ali later admitted to “one or two” cases of sodomy but argued that such incidents should not tarnish the entire organisation.

On Thursday (Sept 19), Nasiruddin, his wife, and 17 others were remanded for seven days.

Earlier, on Sept 18, another GISBH member was charged with making criminal threats against a woman at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court.

GISBH was formed by the late Ashaari Mohammad after the government banned his al-Arqam movement as a deviant sect.

Elaborating, Zaid questioned why GISBH’s businesses were forced to shut down while companies guilty of using child labour and withholding salaries for months continued operating.

“The authorities punished them severely, mainly because they claimed the people running the business were deviants.

“But the businesses of trading, eateries and property development are like any other business,” he said.

He also noted that other religious schools involved in unlawful sexual activities were not subjected to the same treatment or had their accounts frozen.

On Sept 17, police froze nearly 100 accounts belonging to GISBH, totalling nearly RM600,000, and confiscated several vehicles.

Zaid added that if GISBH’s businesses are flawed, the relevant ministry or Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) should handle the matter, not the mufti.

“Our government has a vast religious bureaucracy. They determine what you can believe and what you can’t. They can destroy the lives of those they consider “deviants”. They have absolute power to choose the right path for the Muslims.

“Muslim clerics like the mufti should not have too much power to close down businesses, as if they know everything about this world and the next,” he added.

Following the Perlis Fatwa Committee’s declaration of GISBH as deviant, Terengganu and Kelantan are expected to issue similar rulings.

According to Harian Metro, Terengganu mufti Mohamad Sabri Haron plans to issue a fatwa based on compelling evidence of the organisation’s deviance.

Utusan Malaysia later reported that Kelantan mufti Mohamad Shukri Mohamad stated that no new fatwa is needed, as the current one on al-Arqam is sufficient and can be applied to GISBH’s teachings.

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